Gallant Unit Citation

Last updated
Gallant Unit Citation
Gallant Unit Citation ribbon.svg
TypeRibbon
Awarded forExtraordinary heroism while engaged in armed combat with an enemy of the United States
Presented bythe Department of the Air Force [1]
EligibilityMilitary Unit
StatusCurrently awarded
First awarded2005
Last awardedOngoing
Total recipients6
GUC Streamer.JPG
Gallant Unit Citation Streamer
Precedence
Next (higher) Joint Meritorious Unit Award [2]
EquivalentArmy: Valorous Unit Award
Naval Service: Navy Unit Commendation
Coast Guard: Coast Guard Unit Commendation
Individual
equivalent		 Silver Star
Next (lower) Meritorious Unit Award [2]

The Gallant Unit Citation (GUC), a United States Air Force and United States Space Force unit award, was approved in March 2004 and is awarded to any Air Force or Space Force unit which distinguishes itself by extraordinary heroism while engaged in armed combat with an enemy force on or after 11 September 2001.

Contents

Award Description

The GUC requires a lesser degree of gallantry, determination and esprit de corps than that required for the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC). The unit must have performed with marked distinction under difficult and hazardous conditions in accomplishing its mission so as to set it apart from and above other units participating in the same conflict. The degree of heroism required is the same as that which would warrant award of the Silver Star to an individual. The GUC will normally be earned by units that have participated in single or successive actions covering relatively brief time spans. Only on rare occasions will a unit larger than a group qualify for the GUC. Extended periods of combat duty or participation in a large number of operational missions, either air or ground, is not sufficient. Additional awards of the Gallant Unit Citation are denoted by oak leaf clusters.

Cited units

The only units to date that have received this award are the 621st Contingency Response Wing, [3] 385th Air Expeditionary Group,352d Special Operations Group, [4] the 332d Air Expeditionary Group, [5] the 16th Operations Group (redesignated as the 1st Special Operations Group in 2006), [6] the 720th Special Tactics Group, [7] , 74th Fighter Squadron and the 79th Fighter Generation Squadron, [8] as well as units subordinate to each during the cited time frame.

Subordinate units to the 16th Operations Group receiving the award

816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron and 385th Expeditionary Airlift Group in support of Operation ALLIES REFUGE

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air National Guard</span> Air warfare component of the United States National Guard

The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It, along with the Army National Guard component of each state, district, commonwealth or territory, makes up the National Guard of each region as applicable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eighteenth Air Force</span> Numbered air force of the United States Air Force responsible for air mobility forces

Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) (18 AF) is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. 18 AF was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 January 1958, and re-activated on 1 October 2003. 18 AF is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twenty-First Air Force</span> Military unit

The Twenty-First Air Force is an inactive numbered air force of the United States Air Force. It was last active as the 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, stationed at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst until its inactivation in 2012. In this capacity, it was subordinate to Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Special Operations Command</span> Air Force component of the U.S. Special Operations Command

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command to United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), a unified combatant command located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. AFSOC provides all Air Force Special Operations Forces (SOF) for worldwide deployment and assignment to regional unified combatant commands.

The Meritorious Unit Award or MUA is a mid level unit award of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. Established in 2004, the award recognizes those units who demonstrate exceptionally meritorious conduct in direct support of combat operations. Eligible service is retroactive to 11 September 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Air National Guard</span> Military unit

The Texas Air National Guard (TX ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Texas, United States of America. It is, along with the Texas Army National Guard, an element of the Texas National Guard. No element of the Texas Air National Guard is under United States Air Force command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Texas through the office of the Texas Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Texas Air National Guard is headquartered at Camp Mabry, Austin, and its chief of staff is Brigadier General Matthew Barker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Reserve Command</span> Major command of the United States Air Force responsible for reserve forces

The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commissioned officers and enlisted airmen. Together, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard constitute the Air Force element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. AFRC also plays an integral role in the day-to-day Air Force mission and is not strictly a force held in reserve for possible war or contingency operations. AFRC also supports the United States Space Force through the 310th Space Wing, pending the creation of a space reserve component.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Field</span>

Duke Field, also known as Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #3, is a military airport located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Crestview, in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">23rd Wing</span> Military unit

The 23rd Wing is a front-line United States Air Force Air Combat Command wing currently assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">919th Special Operations Wing</span> US Air Force unit

The 919th Special Operations Wing is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) unit of the United States Air Force. The 919 SOW is assigned to the Tenth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and is stationed at Duke Field, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">701st Airlift Squadron</span> Military unit

The 701st Airlift Squadron is part of the 315th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. It operates Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft providing global airlift.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">71st Special Operations Squadron</span> Military unit

The 71st Special Operations Squadron is part of the 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. It operates Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey conducting special operations flying training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">711th Special Operations Squadron</span> Military unit

The 711th Special Operations Squadron is an active reserve squadron of the United States Air Force, part of the 919th Special Operations Wing at Duke Field, Florida. The unit is operationally gained by Air Force Special Operations Command if called to active duty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">385th Air Expeditionary Group</span> Military unit

The 385th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate as needed. It was last known to be stationed at Incirlik AB, Turkey. It is currently a tenant unit of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">779th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron</span> Military unit

The 779th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron was a provisional United States Air Force unit. Its most recent activation was in 2018 for Operation Inherent Resolve. The squadron was based at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, and was filled by rotating Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command C-130 wings. The last two units that made up the 779th were the Delaware Air National Guard's 166th Airlift Wing and Air Force Reserve Command's 908th Airlift Wing. The squadron was redesignated as the 61st Expeditionary Airlift Squadron on November 2, 2021. It has also been activated for contingency operations at Ramstein Air Base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron</span> Military unit

The 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to Air Combat Command to activate or inactivate as needed. Most recently, it operated Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft in theater airlift missions as part of the Global War on Terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron</span> Military unit

The 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit, assigned to Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate as needed. It engaged in combat operations in Southwest Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron</span> Military unit

The 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron was a provisional United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 385th Air Expeditionary Group, stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar. It was last engaged in combat operations in Southwest Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">438th Air Expeditionary Group</span> Military unit

The United States Air Force's 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group is a provisional unit assigned to United States Air Forces Central to activate or inactivate as needed. It was last active in Al Anbar province, Iraq to provide close-air support to coalition forces in the region with Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. It was composed of deployed aircraft, equipment and personnel from Air Force units around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron</span> Aeromedical Airlift Squadron i

The 55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was first activated during World War II as the 55th Ferrying Squadron. It deployed to Canada and managed a station on the ALSIB ferrying route.

References

  1. ↑ "Production publication" (PDF). static.e-publishing.af.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  2. 1 2 "Awards and Decorations". [Air Force Personnel Center Library]. Air Force Personnel Center. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  3. ↑ - Expeditionary Center
  4. ↑ AFPC – Air Force Personnel Center
  5. ↑ October2006.indd Archived 2013-02-26 at the Wayback Machine
  6. 1 2 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-16. Retrieved 2007-03-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ↑ McKeen, 1st Lt. Gina Vaccaro. "16 Air Force units win 2008-2009 AF unit awards". [Air Force Personnel Center News]. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ THUNDER: 74th EFS receives Gallant Unit Citation
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.